Tyson Foods, Energizer, Belkin and Seventh Generation have partnered with CheckPoints LLC to drive sales and loyalty via its mobile shopping and retail rewards application.

CheckPoints users accrue points, which are instantly redeemable for real-world prizes by checking into a million-plus retail locations across the United States and scanning bar codes on advertised products. Tyson Foods is using the mobile platform to promote its various chicken products.

“CheckPoints allows partner brands to instantly engage consumers through the world of mobile – not while they’re on the couch or in the car, but when they’re in the store with a product in-hand,” said Mark DiPaola, cofounder/CEO of CheckPoints, Venice, CA.

“Partner brands can drive foot traffic to their product – regardless of where that product is located in the store – in over one million U.S. retail locations,” he said.

CheckPoints is a mobile application currently available for the iPhone that rewards shoppers for checking into locations and checking out products at any store they are sold.

Shoppers collect points while unlocking bonuses and interactive content as they scan featured items, with no purchase necessary.

Points can be redeemed on consumers’ phones for rewards like gift cards, airline miles and gadgets.

In August 2010, CheckPoints closed a $1 million Series A financing round from cofounders Mark and Todd DiPaola (see story).

Location-based marketers
Existing location-based services have focused primarily on connecting person with place. 

CheckPoints claims that it adds the missing link—product—to deliver an LBS platform that drives shoppers past the initial check-in and into the aisles.

The application is designed to help brands can drive foot traffic to a specific product and interactively engage consumers, creating a “virtual endcap” anywhere that product is sold. 

Several brands, including Belkin, Energizer, Seventh Generation and Tyson Foods, joined CheckPoints as featured product partners at launch.

When shoppers enter a store that carries a partner brand, CheckPoints features their selected products by offering rewards points and interactive content to engage consumers.

Partner brands can customize the product interaction to include specific and timely messaging, recipes, instant coupons or other special deals.

Tyson Foods tapped CheckPoints to deliver messages to shoppers in-store while building brand awareness and encouraging loyalty.

The brand is leveraging emerging media such as this to provide recipes and meal inspiration for Tyson Any’tizers snacks, Grilled & Ready Chicken and Fresh Chicken products at the point of purchase.

When consumers scan a Tyson Any’tizers product, they are served a full-screen rich-media animated ad with Tyson branding, pictures of the snack food on a football field and the following messaging:

“Dipdown! Tyson Any’tizers Dippin’ Twists Snacks. Feed your fans. Pull back to dip.”

When consumers touch one of the Any’tizers and pull it back, the snack flies through the goal posts.

Green/sustainable household products brand Seventh Generation partnered with Checkpoints to tell its product story to new consumers at the point of purchase, when it really counts. The ability to quantitatively measure the campaign’s success was a key factor in its participation.

Computer hardware manufacturer Belkin’s goal for its mobile check-in campaign was connecting with its customers in a new way and drive verifiable traffic to its products while also delivering relevant messages in multiple retail locations.

Mobile shoppers
CheckPoints helps shoppers discover and interact with featured products by leveraging GPS and UPC scanning technologies on smartphones.

Shoppers earn points just by checking in, as they arrive at a store or restaurant.

In many locations, they can earn additional points by scanning bar codes on featured products and by playing bonus mini-games.

Additionally, CheckPoints offers bonus points to users who share the application on their social networks, so there is a viral marketing element involved.

Shoppers can redeem their points in the Rewards Store for gift cards, airline miles or gadgets.

CheckPoints are a universal currency, meaning points accrued from a specific product or place are not limited to redemption from that brand.

The application for the iPhone is free to download in the App Store, and CheckPoints is awarding new users with bonus rewards points for signing up before the end of the month.

CheckPoints will launch in the Android Market later this fall.

“CheckPoints’ platform enables brands to associate a point level with their products, incentivizing consumers to discover particular products in the store,” Mr. DiPaola said. “When a consumer visits a retail location, CheckPoints features partner products ‘up-front’ on the app to help consumers find and interact with the products.

“Post check-in, advertisers can deliver coupons, special offers and other content, reaching consumers at the perfect time, when the product is in-hand,” he said.

Final Take